Latest Outfit: Crew Member

At the J. Crew Pacific Centre grand opening, a couple of sales associates and I stood in a corner, not-so-shamefully citing our addictions to the store's particular brand of cheerful prep. My J. Crew-aholism is bad enough that these days, most outfit posts feature at least one J. Crew item (this one has three). I can't get through one day without wearing something from them.

The way I see it, the reasons for this are pretty simple. Their stuff happens to fit my personal style nicely and integrates well with what I already have. (Witness the way the accessories have dressed up old jeans and complemented the much-toted Kate Spade satchel!) Plus, whenever I cull my closet, it's always the fast fashion filler that's first to go. J. Crew—by dint of its higher price point and better quality—makes the cut.

After each closet purge, I berate myself for wasting my money on cheap crap but can't bring myself to spend $300 on a silk blouse or $700 on a pair of shoes. So I go back to J. Crew whenever I want to buy something new that hits the sweet spot between quality and affordability. It's a vicious, vicious cycle.